Both San Francisco and Pittsburgh are known for their hills, but riding there could get a lot easier thanks to some electric boost.

Thanks to a federal grant, San Francisco’s City CarShare program will soon be expanding into bikes and bike trailers as a test of how many car trips it could replace, according to the New York Times’ Green Blog. The Transportation Sustainability Research Center at University of California, Berkeley, will be following the program to track results. The initial grant covers 90 bikes at 25 locations for three years. The bikes will be available in San Francisco and across the bay in Berkeley.

On the other side of the country, a trio of students at the University of Pittsburgh have been developing a prototype electric bike they call Pulse PEVO. Unlike some e-bikes that use electric power to assist pedaling, the Pulse PEVO bikes have a twist throttle connected to a lithium-ion battery that is charged by a regular wall outlet and can travel 30 miles on a single charge. One of the designers, Micah Toll, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he wanted to create the "ultimate Pittsburgh commuting vehicle."

Since Bicycle Times is based in Pittsburgh, we’re going to try and get a ride on one of these, so stay tuned for more.